Free Bognor Regis parking gets cautious green light

They agreed on Monday to fund one year’s contribution to a scheme to allow charges for two-hour stays by motorists to be scrapped.

They will pay the council’s £29,000 share as well as £6,000 expected from traders. The decision was made at an extraordinary meeting of the policy and resources committee and immediately backed by the full council.

Committee chairman Adam Cunard said: “We definitely want the free parking to be in place within the next six months.

“We have to careful with balancing our budget. We have a lot of commitments and we have to be mindful of any increase in council tax for our residents.”

He said matters such as the site of the free spaces needed to be decided with Arun District Council before the scheme could start.

Arun has proposed a scheme in Bognor to match the long-running one in Littlehampton where the funding is shared between the district and town councils and businesses. But Bognor Regis Civic Society has called for free parking to be funded through money being paid by Sainsbury’s to improve the town centre and by Butlin’s for a longer lease for its site.